You're faced with a client who keeps asking for more features. How do you navigate their demands effectively?

It's crucial to assess the business impact of any new features a client requests. Are these features 'nice-to-haves' or 'must-haves,' and more importantly, why? Scope creep often occurs when there isn't a clear mutual-close plan in place, which should ideally begin right after the discovery phase. While it's understandable that some features may need to be added as the project evolves, each one should be rigorously validated from a business perspective to determine its necessity and potential return on investment. Establishing and adhering to this structured approach helps ensure that the project stays aligned with strategic goals and delivers maximum value."

It is important to get deeper than the feature level and question the actual motivation of each feature request. Focussing on understanding the actual challenges of the client better, you not only find out if a feature is needed but also can reflect on better and possibly cheaper ways to provide the functionality the client had in mind. Doing so even increases the client's trust as well as their acceptance of your proposed solution as you share the same understanding of the goal then.

Some clients can't tell the difference between the features they want and the features they need. Too many features can make apps more complex and require more resources to run.As consultants, we must help our customers define their needs by understanding their problems and business goals. We need to identify what problems the app can solve, why the customer needs the app, and what specific issues the client needs to address with the app. Analyzing their business processes can help us understand customer needs and minimize overlapping functions in the app.By listening to our clients, we can understand them better, recognize their needs from their perspective, and explain what they need from our perspective.

The client that comes seeking features thinks he knows what he needs. On our side, we should approach this by asking questions and assessing his undercover issues and pain to promote a productive discussion to determine together how our solution can address those pain points and benefits we can bring to the table. Working side-by-side demonstrates respect and the primarily will to help and not to sell.

Its all about being realistic and following the transperent ways of communication. If the feature are available or can be available. i think its actually more over a opportunity to grab. If it seems unrealistic to provide such features which are not present in your solution, then guide and educate the client why it is not available in the system and help them find a best alternative. This way we can create a healthy ecosystem within the companies and support mutual growth and success.

Find a way to yes. Every feature is possible with enough time and money. Make it their choice to invest and be a development partner. Draw clear lines on what is available today, what is on the roadmap and what is unique to that customer. Offer costs and timelines to achieve their desires.

Early on in my career, I got burned by scope creep – I closed a deal based on a clear understanding of the client's needs, but then halfway through the project, they started bombarding me with additional feature requests. It ended up causing major delays, frustration for everyone involved, and a dent in my reputation for delivering on time. Now, I'm a stickler for setting boundaries upfront. It might feel a little uncomfortable initially, but having that transparent conversation about timelines, budgets, and impact of extra features saves everyone a lot of headaches down the road. It allows you to build trust by showing you respect their time and resources, while also protecting yourself from project derailment. It's a win-win!

Explain the company's features and the implementation policy clearly both on the call and by sending relevant documents. The best approach is to say "NO" if the requested important feature is not available in our product. So, that you will gain confidence. Budgets are the concern only when it's not clearly explained. Pitch as an INVESTMENT and not an EXPENSE.

Golden rule ?? ALWAYS BE TRANSPARENT Keep in mind - you are collaborating with each other ... not fighting each other. Help them to understand what makes sense and what not and explain transparently the trade-offs involved in a new feature request.

“One thing I’ve found helpful is to clearly outline the project scope from the outset. When a client requests additional features, I explain the boundaries of our agreement and discuss the potential impact on timelines and costs."

I'm a pictures person. I like to get up in front of a whiteboard and draw out the different journeys being discussed. The customer may see a flaw in your suggestion that you need to know. If your customer is a numbers person, free-writing and calculating in Excel can work really well. If a customer is asking for something that is still detrimental, and they don't see it that way, we need to bring their position and ours into a single view. This is made more complex because generally, someone at the client has already stated their intensions. This means it is vital to understand the people dynamics. If this really can't be done, agree a scope, limits, and a recover plan should your fears come to light, or don't do it.

In my experience, explaining the best solution, the importance of the cost and the profit of the year. If you have alternatives then it means you are costing high to the customer. Instead of focusing on our target, we can focus on the solution and get more referrals for the company.

NUMBER ONE RULE ?? you are working together to find a solution. Don't get things personally. Don't fight. Work on a solution together to fix a specific problem. you are both sitting in one boat and want to drive to a common destination. keep that in mind. and by the way be creative, make it fun, and focus on them!

This is where the magic happens! I've found that getting creative with alternatives is the secret sauce to keeping clients happy without sacrificing the integrity of the product or your sanity. There have been times when a client fixated on a complex feature, but by thinking outside the box, I was able to suggest a tweak to an existing feature that achieved the same outcome in a more elegant way. It's not just about making the sale, it's about building trust and demonstrating that you're invested in finding the best solution for them, even if it means a little extra effort on your end. Plus, seeing the look of surprise and delight on a client's face when you present a clever workaround is priceless.

“At work, I often propose alternative solutions when a requested feature isn’t feasible. For instance, I once suggested a simpler, more cost-effective feature that still met the client’s goals.”

Impact analysis is a must for the project's success. The solution should be helpful and not be a burden. To find the right solution, we should prioritize the impacts of not implementing the solution. This bottom-to-top approach helps us to focus on the primary problem and make our solution budget-friendly in a phased approach.

“In my experience, prioritizing features based on their impact is key. I work with clients to identify which features will provide the most value and ensure we focus on those first.”

This is all about setting realistic expectations and building a collaborative partnership. In the past, I've had clients who viewed software development as a magic black box – they throw in feature requests, and voila! Their problem is solved. But by taking the time to explain the development process and the potential drawbacks of feature overload, it empowers them to make informed decisions. It's like showing them the engine room of a ship – they gain a deeper appreciation for the complexity involved. This transparency fosters trust and open communication. After all, a successful product is one that not only solves their immediate need but is also user-friendly, maintainable, and scalable for future growth.

Within the Challenger Sales process, "teaching" the client from the very first contact is imperative. You need to show and teach the client, from the beginning of the process, an alternative path they can take with your solution. If you do not teach and educate the client, your sale will be much more product-focused. By educating and teaching the client, you will not only add real value to them but also be able to sell something with higher added value, mitigating competition and increasing the project's value.

“One time at work, I had to educate a client on the implications of adding new features, such as increased costs and longer development times. This helped them understand the trade-offs and make informed decisions.”

One of the stages in sales, when you are demonstrating the competencies and capabilities of your solution, is the ideal moment to establish what will and will not be delivered. It is important to have a dedicated section in your presentation to highlight these points and to ask the client if they agree or not. If they do, it is imperative to formalize these aligned expectations within your proposal and even via email. As a tip, even though sales is a process, it is driven by desires or needs, which can change from one moment to the next. Therefore, in every stage of the sales process, it is important to reconfirm the needs originally presented by the client.

Ceci peut cacher une nouvelle opportunité, peut être plus grande! En gardant un esprit positif il est nécessaire à mon sens: 1. Revoir ses besoins mais aussi ses peurs et de ses contraintes 2. Bien comprendre ses aspirations et ses défis. Additionnés a ses besoins,ces éléments vous permettent de mieux construire votre solution 3. Démontrer l'impact de votre solution sur son business 4. S'assurer que le delivery répond aux attentes du client et de présenter les garanties nécessaires 5. Valider l'opportunité ainsi construite et de s'assurer que le prospect dispose du budget nécessaire et qu'il s'inscrit dans une une bonne timeline de concrétisation 5. Re-scooper le projet en fonction des contraintes du client si jamais il y a un problème

It is quite common for customers to request additional features. It’s important to understand the reason behind these requests. Often, they stem from behaviors and functionalities that the end user is accustomed to from previous tools or environments. Instead of just focusing on the features themselves, it is essential to focus on the problems the client is trying to solve. By understanding their core needs and challenges, you can offer alternative solutions that might be more efficient or effective. This approach not only addresses their immediate requests but also provides them with better value and potentially more innovative solutions.

It is very important to ensure that people who have a deep understanding of business needs remain involved throughout the process. Knowing how the features of your product or solution connect with the real needs of the business will keep the audience connected to the primary scope. Using a good list of success stories, where your solution solved business problems identical to your client's needs, can help them focus on what is really important.

These days I record all my Teams meetings with customers and write minutes with actions and share those back. Clear demonstration of the project scope, goals, expectations, along with a RACI, help to put you in a defendable position if required. Manage scope and timetable creep and update those documents if needed. Don't be afraid to say no to business if it will end up being bad business.